It has been a week since Lei's visit. Mrs. Dong tried to act as normal as possible whenever Ming Xi was home. But she couldn't help but be afraid of when the time comes that Daoming Si will find her daughter. She knows a year of hiding was already an impossible feat itself, considering the power of the Daoming name. No, she has nothing against the boy. She even liked him when he used to visit them back in Shanghai. But times have changed. Her daughter has changed, and selfish as it may be, having her daughter lose her memories made her feel at ease, that somehow, she wont have to suffer the pain.

She knows that Sanchai hasnt regained her memories, except for what little they have been telling her. Her friends Xinghe and Li Zhen has been very helpful, though also apprehensive of what might happen if Sanchai's memories come back on their own. Lei, has also also been there for them, albeit also acting as a "new" friend. Mrs. Dong knows that the rest of Sanchai's friends have no idea where she is, even her best friend Xiao Yu.

Lei has been very kind to help them settle in Sanya after Sanchai has recovered from her injuries though he had always made sure to only come by when Sanchai was asleep or when she's not around. They chose to stay in Sanya, since Xinghe's family has also offered to help them. Mrs. Dong was surprised when Sanchai brought Lei home and introduced him as a friend she met in her new school.

She will always be grateful to Lei.

Ming Xi stared at the empty coffee cup in front of her. She was waiting for Lei to finish some business with the Art Center so they could have dinner. It was supposed to be his last night here in Sanya and she wanted to talk to him. She is overflowing with questions. But right now, she just wanted to ask him one thing.

It's half past five already and he was supposed to be here an hour ago. Lei was never late.

Maybe he just got caught up with a lot of things. The traffic is bad at this hour. She tried to justify to herself. She looked around the coffee shop. It wasn't full, but it wasn't empty either. A group of students were huddled in the bigger booth hunched over their laptops, a couple was sharing a slice of cake, two tall and very pretty looking ladies were animatedly talking, their shopping bags under their table. And a scruffy looking guy with long hair reaching his shoulders who looked like he needs more coffee than the large cup in front of him, she can barely see his face since he was facing the large glass window, and the reflection looked like he was looking blankly at the street outside.

Ming Xi glanced at her watch. Where is Lei? She tucked her long hair behind her ears, and unconsciously touched the scar at the back of her head. She can clearly remember the doctor saying she may have retrograde amnesia*, caused by her accident. She was told by her parents that she got into a car accident in Shanghai which was the reason they relocated to Sanya. She didn't understand then why they needed to move, but she didn't question it either. A lot has happened since then and she cant quiet pinpoint it but somehow Sanya seemed familiar to her when they first moved here. It felt like she had been here before.

She thought of the conversation she overheard last night. Lei left after dinner but they made plans to meet up today before he goes back to Shanghai. Sanchai, she thought, her eyebrows furrowing. There's that name again. Sanchai, she repeated the name in her head. It was a name her mother and Lei mentioned last night. It was a name Li Zhen and Xinghe sometimes call her, but always brushes it off. Thinking about it now made her uncomfortable, like there was something missing. She hasnt talked to her mother much since last night, after over-hearing them, though she didnt show that she heard everything. She felt betrayed. She wasnt supposed to remember what? She heard another name but couldnt quiet understand why it seemed familiar to her too, since she doesnt know anyone by that name.

Ming Xi couldnt understand what to make of what Lei and her mother was talking but she intends to find out herself.

Her phone rang, breaking her thoughts. She picked up the call on the second ring, "Hello? Lei? What's going on?"

"Ming Xi, I'm sorry.. Something came up and I have to go back to Shanghai as soon as.." He sounded very distraught and very out of character for the normally calm Lei.

Ming Xi smiled, despite her irritation. "Hey, dont worry about it. I'm still here at the coffee shop, you can still come by." Somehow, she feels comfortable with Lei. Not in a romantic sense, but more of someone she can talk to about things she cant with Li Zhen and Xinghe.

"And I'm here." Then as if on que, the door of the coffee shop opened, and he walked in looking like he walked out of a fashion magazine, his phone still held to his ear. She giggled inwardly as the two girls from the other table turned and eyed him with interest. Lei made his way towards her while looking around the coffee shop. Except for the two girls, nobody else paid attention to them.

"I'm sorry...I.."

"Sit down already, you're attracting too much attention." Ming Xi joked as she gestured for him to take a seat.

"I was supposed to take you to dinner but something came up and I'll be going back to Shanghai in an hour.."

"Don't worry about it, I'm not that hungry anyway. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

Lei looked at her, suddenly worried. There was something about the way she said it that made him feel nervous. "Yes?"

"Who is Sanchai?"

Retrograde Amnesia - When you have retrograde amnesia, you lose existing, previously made memories. This type of amnesia tends to affect recently formed memories first. Older memories, such as memories from childhood, are usually affected more slowly. Source: HealthLine.com